Suction handle



s; KAPLAN SUCTION HANDLE I Sept. 27, 1938.

Filed July 1, 1957 Patented Sept. 27 1938 UNITED STATES 2,131,681; SUCTION HANDLE v v 'Samuel Kaplan, New York, N. Y., assignor' to Kastar Specialty Mfg. 00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York v 7 Application Julyl, 1937, Serial No. 151,357

' 2 Claims. (cree -'64) The invention relates to a suction handle and more particularly to a handle structure carrying two suction devices or cups at the ends thereof, the points of securement of such suction cups to the handle being such as to permit pivoting of the suction cups in order to have their suction surfaces assume any positions of angularity with respect to the handle and with respect to each other, and thus be capable of adhering to a curved 10 surface. The necessary suction or vacuum in the cups may thus be procured to securely grasp such curved surface by means of such handle and attached suction cups.

While many commercial applications of my novel suction handle will occur to those skilled in the art, I have illustrated one such particular application, namely, the removal of a headlight lens from the casing of an automobile headlight of the type having no door or removable rim within which the lens is supported.

The structure of the present invention comprises, broadly speaking, a handle member having its two end portions arcuate and provided with slots extending lengthwise of the arcuate extremities, a suction cup of conventional form being secured to each handle end by means of a bolt passing through the slot and movable along such slot. The two suction cups may thus, by securement of the locking nuts carried thereby, be positioned at any point along the slot and therefore at any angle to the handle extremities and with respect to each other.

In the drawing, in which a specific embodiment of my invention is illustrated,

Fig. l is a side elevation of a suction handle constructed in accordance with my invention, with one of the suction cups shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the suction handle; and Fig. 3 shows the suction handle in position upon a lens having a curved surface to effect the removal of such lens from the headlight casing, for instance of an automobile.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, 4 is a handle member, preferably of metal, having a substantially fiat grasping surface and the end portions of which are slightly curved, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Each of the curved extremities of the handle member is provided with an elongated slot 5 extending longitudinally of the handle body, through which passes a bolt 6 embedded, by means of its head I, in the body 8 of a rubber suction cup of conventional configuration adapted to adhere to a surface, when cupped, by the sucsuch slot by the nut I0, which is tightened to 0 effect such securement. The suction cup will thus be permitted to slide along the curved extremity of the handle member by contact of the washer l2 positioned between the surface of the suction cup nearest the handle and the arcuate end of the handle. so that such washer can assume a position of tangency With the curved extremity of the handle member at any point along such curved extremity, being limited only by the length of the slot within which the bolt is slidable. 20

Each of the suction cups can thus be brought to an independent position of angularity with respect to the handle and thesuction handle can thus be applied with facility to a curved surface so as to have the two suction cups lie perfectly flat upon a level surface while at the same time, their positions are adjustable to any curved surface, for instance as illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the two suction cups have been brought to a position in which they are at an angle to each a other and firmly grip the curved surface to which they have been applied.

As shown in Fig. 3, a particular application of my novel suction handle is found in the removal, from a headlight casing of an automobile, of a lens having a convex: exterior surface. Such lenses are now used in automobile headlights, the lenses being secured within the casing without a removable rim but are seated upon a spring and after loosening of the lens therefrom, are 40 adapted to be removed by movement thereof forwardly of the casing. It is obvious that without a means of grasping such lens upon its curved surface, such operation of removal is difficult, if not impossible. The greatest dexterity is usually required, obtainable only after repeated practice, to remove such headlight without damage either thereto or at least to the composure and ego of the operator.

With the aid of my novel suction handle, both of these eventualities are eliminated, the operator being required only to loosen the two nuts [0, apply the suction cups to the convex surface of the lens, tighten the nuts so as to have suction applied by the vacuum pockets 9 of the suction 55 cups in the conventional manner (by arcing the suction cup bodies), and exert the necessary pull upon the handle to remove the lens from its seat within the casing and thence from the casing.

I have found that for the particular application of my inventive structure, as illustrated in Fig. 3, a suction cup of approximately one and threequarters of an inch in diameter is most desirable and eflicacious.

It is obvious that the structure of my invention is applicable for many purposes, including all those in which a plurality of suction cups need necessarily be applied to curved surfaces, whether concave or convex, and that the particular embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing and described hereinabove is intended to be regarded as a showing by way of illustration, rather than by way of limitation. Thus, various changes in the specific configuration of the various elements, both of the suction cups, the handle member, and in the relation of the elements of my novel structure may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from my invention, which resides broadly in the manner of securement of the suction cups, by the arcuate slots, to the handle.

I claim:

1. An article of the type described comprising an elongated handle member having arcuate end portions, each provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the handle member, and a pair of suction cup members having portions remov: ably secured for adjustment along said slots to vary the positions of angularity thereof with respect to said handle.

2. An article of the type described comprising an elongated handle member having arcuate end portions offset from the main portion thereof, said arcuate end portions having therein closed slots disposed longitudinally of the handle member, a pair of suction cup members each having a bolt extending therefrom and extending through one of said slots, and a nut on each of said bolts releasable for angular adjustment of said vacuum cupmembers with respect to said handle member, and capable of being tightened for locking said vacuum cup members in adjustment.

SAMUEL KAPLAN. 

